Refund due to virus!

So wait...Im confused! Did you get your money back???

It sounds like they didn't refund? That really sucks, sorry Mary! One would hope that a venue would refund in cases like this, but I think a lot of them don't have the money to, so they can only offer postponing to a different date. That's really no comfort to you though. What a terrible situation.

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And this venue got some award from this wedding wire for 2020. So I’m trying to figure out how to talk with their administrators!

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And this wedding venue got some award from this wedding wire for 2020. So I’m trying to figure out how to talk with their administrators, so they know how bad this venue is.

I'm sorry that you weren't able to get your deposit back, but it would not be the venue's fault that you were unable to reschedule. Thus, it would be considered a cancellation on your part and would not qualify you for a refund. It's disappointing, for sure, but venues are losing thousands of dollars as well and will follow their contracts to ensure they can pay their employees and are not forced out of business. If you're wondering about what to say in a review, I honestly wouldn't leave a terrible one simply because you did not receive your deposit back as that's not a fair review. If you had other issues with the venue, by all means leave an honest review on that, but I would not blast a venue for simply following their contract -- virus or not.

View Quoted Comment What does the contract say?

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Yes, I completely agree. Since they offered to reschedule, I think the venue has fulfilled its obligation to be flexible in this sitaution. Is doing a vow renewal or something like that a year from now possible?

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Is a wedding venue whole purpose is to provide good customer service. Word of mouth recommends for good reviews so others want to use a place. This venue operator was rude, a bully and very condescending!

You can not use any contract right now as a reason to keep a customers money, for a virus that “no one saw coming”! The wedding was NOT CANCELLED because the bride did not feel like getting married! This wedding was cancelled because CDC said all gathering over 10 people must be cancelled!! The ridiculous contracts that all these vendors use will not hold up in court, I promise you. I watch a lot of judge Judy! This virus is like a natural disaster, like a hurricane, that comes through and makes it impossible to hold a wedding. So a Natural disaster would be the brides problem too? No!!! The venue should have property insurance that’s covers the business when they can’t provide a service! What if the electricity goes off, is that the grooms fault!? No, that is covered by a business property insurance, so why does everyone think this Pandemic is the fault of the bride that will just have to loss a hole lot of money!

Then those poor little businesses can apply for BIG loans right now too.....so don’t feel sorry for the businesses or expect Brides and Goom’s to just write off thousands of dollars! I don’t see the government given people who lost money during this pandemic any money......just small and large business! So refund my money!

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All I got to say is, good luck on your special day! Remember what you ask for! If the bride and groom just want to go to the courty house and have a party at the house after, then that is what they would have planned! This bride and groom wanted to have their friends and family fly in from all over to celebrate their starting a new life together. Have a nice meal together, dance under the stars and enjoy the special day! This is the brides special day that she plans for her whole life. Then you want to have the poor little wedding venue keep all the money so they don’t have to close up!? That doesn’t make any sense! If the venue has no insurance or saved money then they need to go out of business. BUT the right thing to do is refund the money so the couple can still have a wedding and the day of the bride has dreamed of, in the future when it is convenient for the bride and groom, NOT the venue!

I'm sorry Mary. The wedding venue's purpose is to provide a venue for a wedding. They offered to do that by offering to reschedule the wedding for a different date.

If you're considering legal action, everything will depend on what your contract says. If there is a force majeure clause that actually entitles you to get the deposit returned, that's one thing. Most force majeures do not contain language like that, and do not entitle you to get the deposit back-- it just relieves each party of future obligations to perform the contract. If your contract does not provide for the return of the deposit, I think you are out of luck. And that would be the case if there was a hurricane or something like that, too.

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I am done! It seems like the only folks on this chat is pro venue! So let me clearly say.......I am not going to work with the venue for several reasons! Let the bride and groom get their money back now! And they can plan and execute the wedding they want in the future when it is convenient for the bride and groom and the way they want to do it! NOT the way the venue wants to do it.

You know if the venue wants to let the bride and groom only pay for 5 people and 15 minutes at their venue and refund the difference for 50 people, all day with trash pickup.....that is an option that was discussed and the venue response was, simple, no refunds!

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Why is everyone alway “read the contract” ? No contract from any wedding venue has a clause for pandemic! Forget the contract! This wedding and many others were cancelled because of a National disaster with CDC guidelines published! There are going to be lots of lawsuits because of this but I ask myself why? The venue needs to do the right thing and refund, NOT just the deposit but all the money! Small business and airlines and cruise lines and Disney World Is providing refunds.......they are not saying “read your contract” , they are doing the right thing! Business have insurance and loans to use! Not the individual people!

I guess I’m just confused about this post. What a venue did three weeks ago regarding the return or lack of return of people’s money isn’t really relevant to a customer service award they won in 2019. Should they refund your money? Probably. But that is a completely separate thing from their customer service/other success prior to this pandemic.

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Everyone says to read the contract because the contract is the legally binding agreement between both parties, which is why it is so important to make sure you read all contracts before you sign them. If there are any issues, a judge will go to the contract to make a decision. If the venue has not done anything against the contract, then you don't have a leg to stand by. Would it be nice if they refunded the money? Sure it would. But they're not required to. The businesses you mention are also multi-million dollar grossing businesses...they're not wedding venues. If you think you have a case, I would talk to an attorney.

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No, their whole purpose is to make money and stay in business. They absolutely can use the contract that you signed as a guide for what to do in this instance. If it doesn't have a cancellation clause for an 'act of God,' then you need to either reschedule or take the loss.

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Pandemic = "Act of God." It actually is in some contracts. It's not in others.

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They may not have a specific clause for a pandemic...but they often have cancellation clauses or rescheduling clauses.

Most of use are pro contract because a contract is a legally binding agreement that both parties agreed to. Just because the rescheduling is inconvenient for you doesn't mean they didn't hold up their end of the contract.

Wedding venues are like any other For Profit company. They are out to make money. They have bills to pay just like the rest of us. Just because they have insurance doesn't mean they can afford the monetary losses they are already facing.

I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news but unfortunately that is the legal side of business.

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Hate to be the one to tell you.....this pandemic is considered a National Emergency! Not an act of God! No contract has a National Emergency clause, so a judge or judges will have to decide. There are many different types of services out there, that will be sued over this national emergency with federal guidance that caused many events and/or services to be cancelled. Again the couples wanted to get married but followed, national guidance. If the wedding industry would just do what is right for their customers, instead of doing what their purse can allow......the wedding industry will be the losers in this situation......just this little old mother of the bride’s opinion.

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I disagree!

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"In legal usage throughout the English-speaking world, an act of God[1] is a natural hazard outside human control, such as an earthquake or tsunami, for which no person can be held responsible."

The fact that it's also a declared National Emergency does not mean that it's not considered an act of God, which is a legal term. Again, whether or not an Act of God is a covered exception in a contract will depend on the individual contract, hence everyone telling you to read the contract. All that above may be your opinion, but your opinion doesn't actually have any legal enforceability. You can yell all you want about how unfair it is, but that still does not require the venue to refund the money. I suggest your daughter work with them to reschedule her wedding for a later date if at all possible so that she doesn't lose everything she's given them.